Kelly's Tour of Homes - Guest Bedroom Edition

This week Kelly, you know my "in blog life" friend, is hosting "Show Us Where You Live Friday: Guest Bedrooms".

So here's ours:
It functions as a guestroom, sewing room, and library for Raegen!

{I got tired of always picking up a PILE of books so I moved the bookshelf to this room}

Here's my sewing nook, complete with trash to treasure chair...

I have my mom's sewing machine because I broke my sister's. Remember??
Oh, you're wondering why I don't have my own?

That's a good question..."BILLY, why don't I have my own sewing machine?!"

I really like using glass jars and canisters to house all my notions and sewing supplies. It makes them handy and helps me remember where everything is!

My bucket 'o thread. This sewing box was my Grandmother Richardson's so it is dear to me.

A view back to where we just entered...

A good friend cross-stitched these pillow cases for me as a Christmas present.

Don't you love hand-made gifts??

Most people that see this bed say, "I LOVE your bed!" It was my Grandmother Richardson's and could easily be 80-100 years old. I'm not sure when it was purchased or if perhaps it was in her family before she was born.

Here are some books from my father's childhood.

One has a copyright of 1941 and the other 1943.

I can remember reading these books as a child too. I also liked to trace the pictures onto writing paper...in fact, there's still one of my paper copies tucked inside.

And of course, the grand finale...

What's lurking under the bed?

I store the leaves to the dining room table {remember, it's from B's grandmother and it has 4 or 5 leaves-- HUGE!} and a few pack'n'plays.

Kelly's Tour of Homes - Living Room Edition

What time is it?!

Tool Time! Kelly's Show Us Where You Live Friday - Living Room Edition Time!

Where we started in 2005...btw this is my first and only home...

{don't mind the cute little lady...that's my mom!}
Can you believe there's not even a ceiling fan?! People! No need to die of a slow sweat!

~~~

So here is our humble abode, now. I'm quite proud of the mantle. When we moved in there was none! It took me a few years, but with my parents help I was able to make my own.

You will notice I have a LOT of pictures in my house and practically no art. That's because I like to look at my family and well, it's my house so I can do whatever I want. ha.

Our living room is very narrow so it makes it difficult to arrange furniture {that and the fact that we have oversized furniture}.

The TV is from my single, college days and we'll keep using it 'til it works no more. I would like to have a nice entertainment center for that area, but for now it's the TV and family portraits!

This particular wall has seen a LOT of portrait arrangements and rearrangements. I'm not satisfied with it as is, but it will do. Any suggestions?

I know, I know...they say pianos should be on an interior wall. Sorry.

This grouping of pictures is of my family...

My chair is a swivel, rocker, recliner and I LOVE it. It's actually the ONLY piece of new furniture we have bought as a married couple {four years in just seven more days!}. It's a Lay-Z-Boy and therefore I have the option of reclining just the back or the back and my feet! I like to recline the back and rest my feet on the floor so I can rock.

{Lay-Z-Boy is the ONLY recliner with that option...trust me, I searched HIGH and low.}

I love having my chair placed by the window so I can look out at the yard. We live on the outskirts of town in a quiet neighborhood with large lots. It's not fancy, but it's quite nice.

More pics of my fam...

The table was a freebie from the church gym.

I'm either going to stain it darker or paint it black??

This bowl works great as a catchall for keys...

The couch was a freebie from my MIL and I picked up the coffee table at a yard sale for a mere $20. It offers me plenty of storage and that's a good thing.

B's fam...

They had fair warning I was going to put them on the blogosphere!

Looking from the living room into the kitchen/dining room...

This is B's chair and he dearly doesn't want to part from it...it's big and comfy and best of all worn in; it's a Lane we bought secondhand from my parents! We've searched and searched for a new chair to replace it, but we always come home empty handed. Now B is interested in a double rocker recliner/loveseat.

After I hung the pictures on either side of the window I thought they would probably look better if I flipped them, but it took me too long to get them straight and I was tired of measuring {and missing!}. What do you think? Should I switch them to opposite sides? The group of four would probably look better on the bigger half of the wall, huh?

I would love to go out and find new furniture for our living room {yardsale, thrift store, furniture store}...I would definitely choose items on a smaller scale. Any suggestions on rearranging? I've had it pretty much every way imaginable.

My left blind broke as I was raising it to take my pics today. I've been on the hunt for fabric to make drapes for this window and matching drapes for the french doors in the dining room...should probably get on that!

Kelly's Tour of Homes - Kitchen Edition

I have finally succumb to guilt...I have been viewing everyone else's homes over at Kelly's Tour of Homes and just felt guiltridden that I'm not participating.

So here goes!

Our home is 22+ years old, and it shows! ha. When we moved in I thought for sure we'd only be here a year, max! That was in 2005...boy was I wrong. I would love to paint my cabs and counters. I was inspired first by my bff and her newly renovated home...

Isn't that gorgeous??
And then by The Nester and her sister at Chatting at the Sky. Can you believe that transformation?? And more recently, I was inspired by THATfamily {the second link on Kelly's Tour of Kitchens}. I would love for my counters to look like this or this or this. I think that is sooo cool...and you will quickly see why!

Okay, now on to MY home!!

This is the view of my kitchen from the playroom/office. The laundry room is directly to the right.

Looking on to the dining room and adjacent living room. Do you like that fancy beam?

There was once a wall there, and that is all that remains. On the eve of having new floors put in, I told my husband, we do it now, or we never do it. So armed with a sledgehammer and some muscle, we took down that wall and still made it to Sunday night services on time!

The wall that was...

Back to where we were...once you enter from the playroom/office, the fridge is directly on your left. I would prefer that wall be even with the door to the freezer side because it is impossible for me to open that door completely. When I do need to, I just simply pull the honkin' thing out, get what I need, and push it back. Simple as that.

Here's a view of the top. Complete with my glass beverage dispensers, canisters {courtesy of mom...they were sold at Sam's over the Christmas holiday...they were full of cashews! Now they're perfect for my rice and spaghetti noodles}, cokes from MX and the Coke factory in Atlanta, and my clearance chocolate cake plate from HL.

A closer look reveals the following...is that a Twix bar on top of my fridge? Hey "Sunday guys"...ya'll wouldn't know anything about a candy stash on my fridge, would you??

Moving further to the right reveals my "pantry" cabs, new chalkboard, and exposed sheetrock from said wall demo. Oh, and all those pics on the side of my fridge...it seems my SS fridge front is not magnetic. Why? My daddy says the more SS a product, the less magnetic. You can go here to read more about it...I trailed off after the first paragraph.

Raegen decided he needed in on the tour too. I LOVE my chalkboard and can hardly wait to use it. I finished the final coat this afternoon and need to wait 24hours before use. I'll post a before and after soon.

This sign was in my stocking I received from my MIL at my first Stain family Christmas.

If the dust on the sign is an issue with you, you should reread the sign. I'm kidding. In all honesty, it hangs on my top "pantry" cab and at 5'2", I'm just too short to reach it.

Alright, here's a look back at where we've just come. That's the laundry room door straight ahead, and the playroom/office door to the right.

A place for everything, and everything in its place.

Dog treats for Dusty.

Candy for moi!

Peanuts for B! The bowl to the left is for the shells, and yes, it is strategically placed NEXT TO the sink!

I've never been a fan of fake plants, maybe it's the need to dust them?? The small ceramic pot houses my dishrag made of toille {if you don't have one, you don't know what you're missing!! My wonderful MIL gave me mine and I have all but worn it out...hint, hint...I'll be needing a new one soon!}, sink plug, and PC scraper. My sis introduced me to putting my dish soap in an oil bottle quite a few years ago and I absolutely love it. Practical and beautiful. I also always have on hand, handsoap and my PC timer.

No one can ever find my can opener. Probably the #1 asked question in my kitchen. :)

Paper towel holder and bread box courtesy of Tar-jay. Fruit decor was a gift from a friend.

Oh, and there's a picture of my grandaddy...say howdy! I got him out for use with another project and he hasn't been returned to his home yet. I'll get to you soon!

I LOVE this basket for all our gadgets {cell phone chargers, battery chargers, etc.}.

A must have for your wires...these were stocking stuffers for Christmas. Can you say OCD? or CDO? Might as well put it in order too.

Here are my new "love'emtopieces" canisters. I've been searching for new canisters for some time and I found these at "crack for crafters" {a.k.a HobLob}. I bought each with a 40% off coupon...never pay full price for anything there! I had mentioned to a friend I was on the hunt for some new canisters and she replied in disgust, "for your counter?" haha...yep, I bake way too much to not have them handy. My criteria this time around was it had to be airtight...hence the need for new canisters. The cookbook stand is also from HL {50% off!}.

If you build it wait, they will come it will go on sale.


And another peek around the cab reveals the family calendar. Hello Madisyn! I'm letting her stay a few more days {she was April}, because I JUST changed the month! oops.

My red tea pot gets a LOT of use. In the background you can see my glass cake stand I received as a wedding gift from my lovely sis and my new cloche {who cares that it's really a cheese dome...it's my house and I say it's a cloche!}. Has anyone ever spraypainted their appliances? It will be some time before I can replace the rest with SS {have you forgotten the big beam in my ceiling?} so I'm thinking of spraypainting them with appliance paint. Any tips or tricks??

A closer look at my cloche and cake stand. I got cake hungry today and whipped up this bad boy.

This month's cake class will only have one cake, our final. How can I go an entire month with no cake?! I can't! I haven't had cake in at least 24 hours so I had to remedy that problem.
And why does my cheese platter cloche have a toy to display? That would be because I don't have anything else that will fit! I'm on the hunt.

I also have a before and after pic for it...coming soon!

A view from the living room...

LOVE!!! my tile. The pattern is "pinwheel" and I am more than pleased.

Did you notice the hanging planter? It was here when we moved in and I have never liked it, but I've also never taken it down! In fact, I never notice it. One day....

So much more than decoration...

Hello Raegen's bibs and after-mealtime wipes!!

My fave red stool. My Grandmother Richardson had one just like it in her kitchen. Brings back memories of butter bread and Campbell's vegetable soup.

Moving around the bar, my little nook to house all my cake decorating supplies. I have plans for some new shelves in my laundry room, but this will have to do for now.

{FYI, I bought the bag at Sam's and it's soooo worth it! 2 for $2.50 or something like that}


I purchased my china cabinet and matching buffet from my sister's MIL. She made them with her bare hands! SOLID wood people! I'm trying to decide what to do with it because I'm not happy with it the way it is. Should I darken the stain and leave the paint? Paint the entire thing black? distressed black? black with dark stain?? Suggestions, please!

Cake plate from my Grandmother Sansoucie.

This is the matching buffet. I usually have apples and bananas in the fruit basket, but I'm fresh out. Below I have an ENTIRE box of bulbs that are ready to be planted.

{perk of being married to a landscaper...wait, why am I planting them?!}

The table is Billy's great-grandmother's and is in desperate need of being refinished. It's on my to-do list {for two years now!}. The chairs match my glass top dining table that is now housed in my office.

At times I have contemplated taking down the cabs above the stove? What do ya'll think? Another blogger linked her kitchen and she did not have a venthood above her range. I left a comment asking her how she liked that, but have not heard back. Opinions??

Lastly, here is my dinnerware...

My china is Crestwood Platinum by Noritake

with the matching Christmas plates.

Growing up, we ALWAYS ate on my Grandmother's fine china for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I hope to use mine more often than that...it's here to enjoy, so use it and enjoy it! :)

And our everyday dinnerware, Corelle! Once again, Raegen is playing Vanna White.

I chose Corelle for two reasons, it's affordable and it stacks easily. After years of using chunky, heavy dishes, I was ready for something slim-lined. I grew up with Corelle and Billy already had a white collection from college. In fact, the first plate he unpacked he dropped. Surprise, surprise, it bounced! He was sold, so when we registered for wedding gifts this was a no brainer. A few weeks ago we had a friend over that told us of his plans to move out soon. I insisted Billy show him our wonderful dinnerware. {I'm sure he was thinking, "so many opinions, so little time"} I just wanted to share with him, what took us me years to realize...go with the cheap stuff!

Billy took a plate out of the cabinet and twirled it around for Taco to see.

Then I said the following,

"Throw it down, Billy, throw it down.

Do it.

Let him see how it can bounce.

Do it, Billy, do it!!"

For those of you that think I'm crazy, channel the Corelle commercial that involves

a runway,

a model,

and a dinner plate.

Got me? Okay, let's proceed.

Billy tossed the plate up and out

{later he said he didn't want it to break on him, if it indeed did break}...

and break it did!

As soon as it hit the tile, it bounced up into a ba-jillion tiny pieces. I sat in shock for at least a minute or two. That was absolutely positively NOT the result I had anticipated. It made an absolute mess, but it was hilarious and another story for us to write down.

I'm STILL finding shards of the plate...

I hope you've enjoyed this tour, check out more homes at Kelly's Korner: Tour of Homes - Kitchen Edition.